Countrywise - Season 3

12 episodes
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Episodes

1. Dorset's Jurassic coastline

Paul Heiney and the team visit Dorset's Jurassic coastline, classed as one of the natural wonders of the world, and discover how the landscape has shaped the lives of those who have made their homes there. The programme hears from a family that has been fishing along the coast for three centuries, and reveals how the area provided inspiration for the great novelist Thomas Hardy

2. Durham Dales

Paul Heiney and the team explore the Durham Dales, one of Britain's best kept secrets, which boasts the most powerful waterfall in the country, with the River Tees tumbling through a gap a few feet wide. Bettany Hughes visits the site of the first railway, and Mike Robinson prepares a pheasant stroganoff

3. Sussex

The team visits Sussex to uncover the countryside's living history. Paul Heiney meets a family that once owned Beachy Head, Mike Robinson gets up close to the ancient cattle breed farmed at the time of the Battle of Hastings, and Bettany Hughes unearths the secrets of the county's Roman iron mines. Rachel de Thame spends time at a world-famous garden where the rule books were thrown away

4. Anglesey

Paul Heiney marks this week's royal wedding with a visit to Anglesey, adopted home of Prince William and Kate Middleton. He hears the legend of an island dedicated to young lovers, and meets the lifeboat crews the prince works with. The history of Welsh gold wedding rings is uncovered, while in Kate's home county of Berkshire, the team finds a brewery making an ale to commemorate the big event

5. Offa's Dyke

Paul Heiney and the team explore the landscape along Offa's Dyke, the 1,000-year-old fortifications that divide England and Wales. Rachel de Thame uncovers the wild floral beauty found in historic graveyards, and Bettany Hughes reveals the story behind the ancient art of timber-framed buildings. Chef Mike Robinson is also on hand to rustle up a traditional Shropshire dish

6. Loch Lomond in Scotland

The team explores the landscape surrounding Loch Lomond in Scotland. Paul Heiney takes a trip on the UK's only commercial seaplane, Mike Robinson stalks deer in the hope of cooking a venison treat, and Bettany Hughes explores the legend of Scottish folk hero Rob Roy. Rachel de Thame visits a Victorian garden that has been restored to its former glory

7. North Devon

Paul Heiney sets sail from the north Devon coast to the island of Lundy to meet the people who guard not only its land but also what lies beneath the sea. Chef Mike Robinson forages along the coastline, while Rachel de Thame visits one of Britain's most prestigious gardens

8. Chilterns

The team travels to the Chilterns to discover an area steeped in ancient crafts and traditions less than 50 miles from the centre of London. Paul Heiney meets the men still making bricks by hand, historian Bettany Hughes tells the story of boating on the Thames, and chef Mike Robinson visits a farm rearing a centuries-old English duck

9. North Yorkshire

A visit to North Yorkshire sees Paul Heiney climbing to the top of the spectacular Malham Cove, while historian Bettany Hughes examines the town of Whitby's links with the story of Dracula. Chef Mike Robinson is also on hand to rustle up a black pudding fit for a vampire

10. Channel Island of Jersey

Paul Heiney and the team visit the Channel Island of Jersey discovering that, despite being just 14 miles from France, it is the most English of places, with a variety of landscapes across its 45 square miles

11. Brecon Beacons

The team visits the Brecon Beacons National Park. Paul Heiney meets the sisters said to be the world's oldest twins, and bids farewell to Clive the water vole as he is released into the wild. Historian Bettany Hughes walks the path of the old drovers and chef Mike Robinson is in Waterfall Country trying out the local whisky. Rachel de Thame explores the work of the National Garden Scheme at a home dating back to the 1800s

12. Bridlington in East Yorkshire

Paul Heiney visits the coast around Bridlington in East Yorkshire, where he enjoyed childhood holidays, and Rachel de Thame returns to Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, which inspired her to be a gardener. Bettany Hughes heads to Wrexham, home of her favourite castle, Chirk, and Mike Robinson tastes one of the world's hottest chillis. Last in the series